GAMES A battling Anderlecht won 1-3 after extra time in Genk. Anderlecht fell behind before the break. The Mauves did not play particularly well, but they kept the faith. Bertaccini struck the equaliser in the 82nd minute. In extra time, a penalty by Hazard and a late goal by Kanate secured the win.
Before half-time Anderlecht had very little to show. Genk dominated possession, not least because Anderlecht could hardly keep the ball in their own ranks. The Mauves were too sloppy to trouble Genk, dropped far too deep and allowed the Limburg side to settle into their game.
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Continue reading After a quarter of an hour Anderlecht also had to replace the injured Augustinsson with N'Diaye. It was not that Genk constantly bombarded Coosemans' goal, but they did take the lead in the 23rd minute. A shot from Karetsas ended up in the net after Sardella unnecessarily glanced the effort on with his head, leaving Coosemans with no chance.
Five minutes later Anderlecht almost received a gift from former goalkeeper Van Crombrugge. Bertaccini intercepted a poor pass from the keeper and found Hazard, who rattled the crossbar with a fierce strike.
Anderlecht managed to regain a little composure towards the end of the half; Palacios had to clear a header off the line.
At the break Stroeykens came on for Cvetkovic, sending Bertaccini up as the spearhead. Anderlecht emerged from the dressing room with a better shape, but it was still Genk who threatened several times through Heymans and Karetsas, helped by the space Anderlecht offered. Fortunately for the visitors the finishing was repeatedly off target.
Anderlecht finally created a chance in the 70th minute when Bertaccini nodded a Camara cross wide. Despite ongoing sloppiness, they did level in the 82nd minute: Van Crombrugge failed to hold a shot and Bertaccini finished in the rebound. In the closing stages of regular time Sor caused some danger, but he was too erratic to pick out a free Oh.
In the first period of extra time Genk initially took the initiative, but neither side showed any rush. Anderlecht responded and came close to the 1-2 when Verschaeren hit the bar with a shot from distance.
Soon after the start of the second half of extra time, referee Laforge awarded Anderlecht a penalty for a foul by El Ouahdi on Angulo. Hazard placed the ball in the net with precision. Genk still had about fifteen minutes to respond, but Anderlecht appeared the fresher team. In the final phase Genk sent in some long balls and were awarded five more minutes, yet it was Anderlecht who struck again when Kanaté raced onto an empty goal on the counter attack. Anderlecht progress in the cup and record their first win in Genk since February 2021.
